For many years, telecommunications systems have embedded information regarding a calling number identification within a digital signal that is transmitted during the initial “ringing signal” portion of a telephone call. This so-called “Caller ID” is displayed on the receiving device (e.g., landline or wireless telephone handset) during the initial ringing of the device prior to answering the call, informing the call recipient of the telephone number associated with the call originator. Companies that provide video content to consumers through their home television set, such as cable and satellite television providers, have also devised a way to display the Caller ID on the subscriber's television set. Through use of a set top box (STB) handing the video content, a double-ended phone cord may be used to interconnect a standard RJ11 type home telephone receiving jack with the STB, so that the ringing signal reaching the home jack is relayed on to the STB for display of the Caller ID on the television connected therewith. This allows the user to see the calling phone number on their television set without having to locate their telephone handset.
Mobile or cellular telephones that are not associated with a particular landline also have the ability to display Caller ID information. However, just as in the case of a landline-based handset or telephone receiver, if the user does not have their mobile phone within reach, they cannot see who is calling them at any given point in time without having to track down the mobile phone. Some mobile phones have the ability to ring in a specific tone or pattern based on the calling number identification received. Many drawbacks exist, however, to utilizing these ring patterns, such as the burden on the mobile phone user in establishing which calling number gets associated with a particular ring pattern (and in remembering how they assigned the ring patterns), the limited number of ring patterns most mobile phones offer, and the fact that the user may not hear their phone ringing if the phone is moved into another area of their house, for instance. Mobile phone users would benefit from having Caller ID information displayed on their television when the user is actively watching the television and a call is being received on their mobile phone.